1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receiver capable of receiving parallel data signals through a plurality of data channels, more particularly, to a parallel data skew detecting circuit capable of detecting a skew in parallel data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known in the field of computer technology to provide a parallel interface in which data signals are transported over parallel copper cables or fiber-optic cables, so as to simultaneously transport as many data signals as possible.
Data signals in the parallel interface are, however, not always received by a receiver in all data channels at the same time, even if the data signals are simultaneously transmitted in synchronization with the system clock of a transmitter.
When the parallel interface employs parallel fiber-optic cables, in particular, skew tends to occur in parallel transmission data, which should be processed in parallel later, based on a difference in transmission speed of data signals within the fiber-optic cables, a difference in processing speed of photodetectors for converting optical signals into electrical signals, and so on. The longer the fiber-optic cables, the larger the skew.